Have you ever seen someone with a really cool shark's tooth necklace and wondered how they got it? Chances are they didn't really wrestle that big shark and yank out the tooth as a trophy or prize, but they found a place where you can get some shark teeth and bought it themselves. If you're interested in fossils you may already have knowledge of megalodon teeth and realize that these are not collectibles that you can wear around your neck, but are truly a prized find for any treasure hunter. What do we mean by megalodon teeth and why would anyone want to see one?
The megalodon was a type of giant shark that existed some ten million years ago or so. It was the ultimate predator of the time, feeding on other animals as large as whales. Today it exists only in fossil record, and owning megalodon teeth can be quite the status symbol especially for those that appreciate the history surrounding them.
For example, while it's believed that the megalodon may be a relative of the great white shark, many mainstream scientists disagree with this and believe that it should have its own classification. Also, with an animal that large and that dangerous it's amazing that it would have died out all those millions of years ago as it most certainly should have been the true champion of the thinking, "survival of the fittest." From the size of megalodon teeth it's believed that such an animal would have grown to 13 meters or 43 feet in length - that's over four stories tall! Some other scientists have estimated that the shark would have grown even longer than that. The reason that they make these estimates is because most megalodon teeth that have been found are over 13 centimeters or 5 inches long when measured straight from front to back, and over 18 centimeters or 7 inches when measured on the diagonal. That's about as long as an average man's hand span, and this is just a single shark's tooth!
A company in Florida called Megalodon Expeditions has set up expeditions for the treasure hunters and for around $75.00 per day they will take you to a secret location on the Peace River near Arcadia where many treasure hunters have found Megalodon teeth in the past. Tools you will need are a shovel, some type of screening device, goggles and snorkel. Sedement from the bottom of the river is shoveled into the screen and then the screen is shaken under the water to remove all of the loose mud and debris. You can find many other type of fossils in the river including other species of sharks teeth, turtle shells, deer antlers, camels teeth and armadillo shells.
A single tooth can sell for up to $20,000. The mineral content of the water that the megalodon tooth laid in will determine the color of the final fossil which can range from red to black.
Findings of megalodon teeth are very significant when it comes to oceanography and history itself. Scientists have yet to come up with a logical theory about how such a large and fierce creature could become extinct, and some wonder if perhaps they may still even exist but in deeper parts of the ocean that are not accessible to man. It's also significant that megalodon teeth that are found must be at least 15,000 years old, while many assume that they are even older than that.
True fossil hunters and those that appreciate history are very interested in megalodon teeth as they are part of an unsolved mystery and truly a valuable find for anyone.
Happy Treasure Hunting.
About the Author:
David Cowley has created numerous articles on Wines. He has also created a Web Site dedicated to wine information. Visit http://www.wine-team-usa.com
Treasure Hunting For Megalodon Teeth
